No scandals in the tabloids, no whispered rumors, no telltale signs. Only a select circle of San Francisco's upper-crust society knew.

But when three young girls decided to change their last names from Beck to Getty, the secret was out: One of the richest men in America and one of the city's biggest philanthropists was leading a double life.

Gordon Getty, socialite, patron of the arts and heir to the Getty Oil fortune, has been keeping a second family in Los Angeles for 14 years.

The other woman, Cynthia Beck, and their three daughters ages 8, 10 and 14 are now negotiating for inheritance rights from Getty, listed last year as the 82nd richest man in the country by Forbes magazine.

Getty has acknowledged the relationship.

"Nicolette, Kendalle and Alexandra are my children," Getty wrote in a statement released to the media. "Their mother, Cynthia Beck, and I love them very much."

The news of the affair is the latest episode in the continuing Getty soap opera. By far one of San Francisco's most glamorous families, the extended Getty family has known fabulous wealth and terrible tragedy, including bitter lawsuits, divorces, drug overdoses and a kidnapping in 1973.

The lastest twist came four months ago, when Getty's daughters filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting the name change. The file does not list the girls' or their mother's address.

"There are unusual security issues in this action," wrote the girls' attorney, Stephen Burgin, who works for the prestigious Los Angeles firm of Latham & Watkins. "The Getty family has a history of threats against it as well as a violent kidnapping."

A judge is scheduled to hear the case in November.

Friends of the Getty family described Cynthia Beck as a "lovely woman." She is not a socialite, said one source.

"She is a nice lady and lives in the L.A. area" was all Burgin would divulge, saying the girls are ready to claim their birthright.

"They know and love their dad . . . and wanted to bear his name. It's fairly straightforward," said Burgin, who says the desire to carry their father's name outweighed the risk of exposure. "The mother is certainly aware of it. But this is not her issue, it's their issue."

Getty, who is vacationing with his wife, Ann, on a friend's yacht, was notified of the action and has not contested it, according to Burgin.

In his written statement, Getty said the girls' welfare was his first priority.

"The most important concern is that the children's needs be addressed with a minimum of disruption, and this will be our first priority. The Getty family has been fully supportive throughout this situation and for that I am very grateful," he said.

But those close to the Getty family knew that it was only a matter of time before the truth surfaced.

"Nothing is secret in this world, and sooner or later we knew something was going to come out," said Ann Getty's longtime attorney William Coblentz, "You face the facts. That's it. I've learned long ago that you tell the truth on these things."

Friends of the family say Getty's wife and four sons have known of the affair for some time and described it as an unspoken arrangement between husband and wife. Some members of the city's elite have apparently been aware of Gordon Getty's other family for nine years. But it was a subject they never broached.

Nor was it a subject that shocked them.

For the past decade, Getty and his wife of 34 years often spent months apart. Ann Getty's many interests kept her away from home. They include a publishing company with Lord Weidenfeld in New York and London and archaeology studies at the University of California at Berkeley. She went on extended digs in Ethiopia and other places, often gone for a month at a time.

But in recent years, she has stayed closer to home. Most recently, Ann Getty has taken an interest in interior design, lending a number of friends a helping hand with their homes.

This week, the Gettys took a cruise to the Mediterranean aboard friend Ken Rainin's yacht. They left last Saturday and are due back this weekend.

"They've got their problems," said one source who asked not to be identified. "But they're in the spotlight more than other people. They've lived their lives in a public manner. It's very hard. With the vast amount of wealth and the isolation that comes with it, you become so isolated in your life."

One son has a daughter, but he has not married her mother. Nevertheless, the Gettys have embraced the child and established a Montessori preschool in their Broadway mansion to educate her. It is estimated that 16 children attend the school at which actor Don Johnson's wife, Kelley Phleger Johnson, is a teacher. Johnson and Phleger were married in the Gettys' Pacific Heights home last spring.

Through it all, the Gettys have contributed greatly to the community and they repeatedly ask to be anonymous. The plaque thanking Gordon Getty, who was essentially responsible for the remodeling and acoustical upgrading at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, is backstage -- at his request.

The Gettys are known for their hospitality. Placido Domingo stays with them when he is in San Francisco as do most of the great opera singers who visit the city.

In 1959, he published his first composition, an a cappella chorus to a poem by Tennyson. He is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Opera, symphony and a patron of the theater.

He and Ann Gilbert of Woodland (Yolo County) were married on Christmas Day in 1964 after eloping to Las Vegas. Three years later, he sued his father, Jean Paul Getty, in San Francisco Superior Court for $5 million in dividends held in trust.

Jean Paul Getty, patriarch of the family, died in 1976. At one time he was the world's richest man. In 1973, his eldest grandson, Jean Paul III was kidnapped by Italian gangsters and held for $3.2 million ransom. The family paid after the boy's severed ear was sent to an Italian newspaper.

GETTY FAMILY TREE
.
JEAN PAUL GETTY
(1892-1976)
Inherited his father's oil business. Invested
money from oil empire into stock market, which proved to be
a sound business strategy. Kept a pay phone for his guests at
his $17 million London mansion.
.
Married five times
.
WIVES:
1. JEANNETTE DEMONT
Married 1923-25
.
CHILDREN:
GEORGE FRANKLIN GETTY II
(1924-73)
Served as executive vice president
and chief operating officer of Getty Oil until his death. His
unusual death at age 48 from a drug overdose was considered
a possible suicide.
2. ALLENE ASHBY
Married 1926-28
(No children)
3. ADOLFINE HELMLE
Married 1928-1932
.
CHILDREN:
(1) JEAN RONALD GETTY
(1929- )
Was briefly involved
in management of Getty Enterprises, and for reasons unknown
has been excluded from the family trust.
4. ANN RORK
Married 1932-35
.
CHILDREN:
(1) JEAN PAUL GETTY JR.
(1932- )
Has secluded himself from the family and has lived
in London for more than 25 years. He revoked his American citizenship.
He received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in
1986 for donating more than $200 million to British causes.
.
GRANDCHILDREN:
-- JEAN PAUL III:
Kidnapped and held hostage by Italian Red Brigades. Ear was
chopped off before he was returned for a $1 million ransom.
-- AILEEN
-- MARK
-- ARIADNE
-- TARA
.
(2) GORDON PETER GETTY
(1933- )
Became father's favorite after his stepbrother George's death.
He is a philanthropist and composer. He has been married to Ann
Gilbert since 1964.
.
GRANDCHILDREN:
-- GORDON PETER JR.
-- ANDREW RORK
-- WILLIAM PAUL
-- JOHN GILBERT
.
Cynthia Beck
Had three daughters with Gordon Getty.
-- NICOLETTE
-- ALEXANDRA
-- KENDALLE
5. THEODORA LYNCH
.
CHILDREN:
(1) TIMOTHY
(1946-1958)
Passed away at the age of 12 of surgical complications.
Todd Trumbull / The Chronicle